Did Bold & Beautiful Just Recast Carter’s Ex, Zoe?

Let the (guessing) games begin! While the cast and crew of Bold & Beautiful was having a heck of a good time at the show’s annual holiday party (photos from which you can find here), at least one person was being introduced to those in attendance.

So who was the mysterious beauty? Turns out her name is Murielle Hilaire, and she’s about to make a very big splash on the fashionable sudser. Details are being kept under wraps, but we’ve managed to suss out that she’ll be playing a character named Daphne, and she’ll first appear on air Tuesday, January 7.

Despite our best efforts to pry more info from backstage sources, the best we could get was an assurance that her arrival was “going to be great.”

Now, if you know anything about us, you’ll know that when it comes to casting news like this, we can’t help but speculate as to who the new character is and how they might be connected to the canvas. And in this case, we have a theory that we’re kinda loving: Could Hilaire be playing Zoe Buckingham?

Yes, yes, the show says that the actress will be playing Daphne. But this wouldn’t be the first time that a soap fudged the facts in order to keep a plot twist secret. And let’s face it, the return of Carter’s ex could create all kinds of drama, especially where his relationship with Hope is concerned!

Need a refresher course on Zoe? Well, the character was originally played by Kiara Barnes. Zoe and Carter got involved shortly after she learned that beau Thomas was only using her to make his would-be girlfriend, Hope, jealous. (Worse, Zoe made this discovery on what was supposed to be her wedding day!)

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Carter was there to help heal Zoe’s heart and, after overcoming the usual soapy obstacles, they made plans to wed. Unfortunately, she was once again devastated upon discovering that he’d been sleeping with her gal pal, Quinn (who happened to be married to Eric at the time). Devastated, Zoe packed up her modeling outfits and left for the Paris office of Forrester International.

Interestingly enough, it wasn’t that long ago that Zoe’s sister, Paris, got engaged to Thomas, who’d only a few months earlier headed to Forrester International after Hope refused to become his wife.

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Dare we hope that Zoe, Thomas and Paris all return from the overseas offices, throwing several monkey-sized wrenches into Hope and Carter’s current romance?

Want the scoop on the most recent cast changes to hit Bold & Beautiful? We’ve gathered all the comings and goings int0 this handy gallery!